Content about Vitamins, Diet and Sports Nutrition

GEORGIA, Vt. — Perrigo Nutritionals is introducing new packaging that the company said would make providing nutrition to infants more convenient.

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Hero Nutritionals on Wednesday introduced two sugar-free vitamins to its Yummi Bears line that are naturally sweetened with lo han fruit and inulin fiber.

“Overall the gummy vitamin category is up by 19% year over year, with the new sugar-free trend emerging," stated Claire Polson, national sales and marketing manager for Hero Nutritionals. “Additionally, the supplement alternative sweetener category grew by 10%, with the children’s multivitamin category driving it at 23% growth as compared to 2011.”

NEW YORK — Kraft Foods is adding to their line of flavored water enhancers with two flavors of Mio Fit, a portable liquid water enhancer with B vitamins and electrolytes, and has planned the brands first-ever Super Bowl spot to run during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVLII on Feb. 3.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — H. D. Smith on Tuesday announced the establishment of H. D. Smith Specialty Solutions, an organization structured to provide focus and alignment around specialty and traditional brand products, solutions and services. The wholesaler also announced the realignment of select executive leadership positions to best capitalize on the growing needs resulting from recent geographic and service expansions. These expansions include the acquisition of Valley Wholesale Drug in October 2012 and a planned majority ownership investment in Triplefin announced in January 2013.

TYSONS CORNER, Va. — More than 80% of Americans are willing to pay more for Made in the USA products, according to a USA Today report published online late Monday night. 

Out of those shoppers actively seeking to buy all things American, 93% reported that they wanted to keep jobs in the U.S. as their primary reason for doing so, the report noted, citing a survey released in November by Boston Consulting Group.

WASHINGTON — The dietary supplement industry’s self-regulatory coalition, the SIDI Work Group, on Thursday announced the release of its voluntary Dietary Supplement Component Supplier Qualification Guideline — a document designed to assist the industry in supply chain integrity, which is a requirement for complying with current good manufacturing practices. 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Vestcom on Tuesday launched VitaAisles, a shopper-friendly, comprehensive in-store education program designed to support consumer demand for health information regarding vitamins, minerals and supplements. 

PARAMUS, N.J. — Inergetics will be breathing new life into diet aid brands Bikini Ready and SlimTrim, the company noted on Monday. Those are two brands the company recently acquired from Whole Products Group that will be the focus of presentations at the ECRM Vitamin, Diet & Sports Nutrition conference being held in San Antonio this week. 

SALT LAKE CITY — Zarbee's on Tuesday noted that more consumers have gravitated toward natural solutions over allopathic medicines, at least through the end of December, citing Nielsen scan data. 

For the 12 weeks ended Dec. 31, supplemental immune system boosters and homeopathic cough and cold medicines were up 13%, Zarbee's reported. The trend is even more pronounced across children's remedies with allopathic medicines declining 15% in the 12 week period while sales of pediatric natural solutions were up 19%, and now make up more than 20% of the category. 

GlaxoSmithKline’s Alli is back. And while the brand is still slightly down versus year-ago sales  — Alli posted a sales decline of 8.9% to $13.9 million across all channels for the 12 weeks ended Nov. 4, according to SymphonyIRI Group — overall, the category is trending up 15% in quarterly sales increases. The recent resumption of marketing efforts behind Alli coupled with recent New Year’s resolutions should maintain Alli’s position as the top-selling diet-aid tablet, and the only OTC option in the category.

Interest in vitamins, minerals and supplements as a viable consumer product with strong profit-bearing potential has got to be at an all-time high right now, judging from the number of merger and acquisition deals scrolling across the latest finance news feeds.